The house of 2015 will be smaller, greener and a whole lot smarter than homes of the past.
After home sizes grew for four consecutive years, new single-family homes in 2014 began to drop slightly and experts believe this trend will continue in 2015. The average size was 2,642 square feet in 2014, down from 2,662 square feet the previous year, according to the National Association of Home Builders.
SLIDESHOW: 11 Home Trends for 2015
“Overly tight mortgage credit requirements made obtaining a loan very difficult for first-time, young buyers. As a result, homes built reflected the characteristics of the only buyers able to access credit and buy a home – wealthier, trade-up buyers with enough equity and savings for large down payments,” said Rose Quint, assistant vice president of survey research at the National Association of Home Builders’ Economics and Housing Policy.
“In 2015, we expect first-time buyers to come back in the market, and reverse the growing trend,” she added.
What homeowners might lose in term of space, they’re absolutely gaining in modernity: The smart home will come to virtually every room in the house and allow people to control everything from HVAC, locks and security to music and appliances. Thanks to prewired modern infrastructures, the Internet of Things has become omnipresent in the home.
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Whether you’re building the house of your dreams or simply remodeling, following one of these 11 trends for 2015 will likely add value to your home and in some cases make your place more environmentally friendly.
One way to do that is to incorporate more raw materials, such as copper or concrete, into your kitchen and bathroom. You can also go the whole nine yards and decide to completely switch to solar power, which has become more affordable in recent years.
In any case, there’s something for everyone and all budgets.
Click here to see the 11 home trends for 2015.
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